Secret Admirer
by LiaBelle
Summary: Izzie has a secret admirer...1st in a series of Valentine's Day one shots featuring the Seattle Grace Interns called...what else Valentine's Day at Seattle Grace


"No, Meredith, stop! I don't do Valentine's Day, alright?" Izzie insisted pulling off her scrubs and slamming her locker door shut.

"Why not?" Meredith persisted.

"Because what's the point of celebrating love when you don't have anybody to love?" Izzie all but yelled.

Alex was listening to their conversation, hidden on the other side of the lockers. His heart sank as he heard the stubborn tone in Izzie's voice that meant that her mind was made up and couldn't be changed.

"Come on, Izzie!" Meredith heard the tone too, but kept trying anyway. "Even Cristina is letting Burke take her out to a big fancy restaurant for Valentine's Day."

"No, Meredith. No."

"This is about Denny, isn't it?"

"Why do you always assume that everything is about Denny? That was two years ago, Mer. I know that Denny's dead, alright? I know that it's time for me to move on, and that's what I'm trying to do here."

"And I'm trying to help you move on. What about if you had somebody to celebrate Valentine's Day with?" Meredith asked, "Then what?"

"And who do you suggest I spend it with? George? And risk getting my butt kicked by Callie? I don't think so! McSteamy? Finn the Vet? Seriously, Meredith!"

"What about Alex?"

Alex had stopped listening, but perked up upon hearing his name.

Izzie didn't say anything, so Meredith went on. "He still likes you, Iz!"

Alex frowned. Was he really that obvious?

"He does not!" Izzie exclaimed. "And even if he did, it'd never work. We tried to make it work several times and it never did. So why would it work now?"

"Is there anything that would make you celebrate Valentine's Day like a normal person?" Meredith sighed.

Izzie paused. "If I tell you this, do you swear not to tell anybody else?" Meredith nodded and gave her word. "Not even Cristina!" Meredith nodded again. "Ok, it's always been my secret wish to have a secret admirer. If I had a secret admirer I would consider celebrating Valentine's Day."

"That's kinda weird, Iz." Meredith said.

"Whatever," Izzie said, and they both left the locker room.

Behind the lockers, Alex smirked, a plan formulating already in his mind. He would be Isobel Stevens' secret admirer.

Alex's plan was set into action the next day. He didn't have much time, as Valentine's Day was less than two weeks away. He decided to start off with a simple card; nothing big or fancy, but just enough to get her attention.

"What's this?" Cristina asked the next day, spotting the piece of paper that had fallen out of Izzie's locker. She unfolded it. "'Dear Izzie,'" she read, "'I just wanted to let you know how much I admire you.' Hey! Is this like a love letter or something?"

"Give it to me!" Izzie said, snatching it away from her fellow intern. "'Dear Izzie,'" she read under her breath. "'I just wanted to know how much I admire you. I know you've been going through a tough time recently, but I had to tell you how I feel. You are and amazing surgeon, and an amazing woman. Signed, An Admirer.' I have a secret admirer!" she announced, no able to contain her smile, "Meredith! I have a secret admirer!"

From across the room, Alex barely managed to cover his smirk.

"Let me see," Meredith begged.

"No, it's mine." Izzie scanned over the note again. "Hey, this handwriting looks kinda familiar." Alex groaned inwardly, cursing himself for not disguising his handwriting. "Did you write this, Mer?"

"No," Meredith said, "Why would I do that?"

"To get me in the Valentine's Day spirit."

"Whatever, I didn't write it." Meredith insisted.

"You're unusually quiet today, Karev," Cristina pointed out, "I kinda like it this way."

"Tired," Alex said distractedly.

"Aren't we all?" George put in.

"Interns!" Bailey barked, opening to door. "Rounds! Now!"

Over the next few days, Izzie received more cards, candy, flowers and a cute little teddy bear holding a red satin heart.

"Aw! It's so cute!" Izzie squealed. She had brought the bear to lunch to show everybody. Izzie's secret admirer had been fun for everybody else for the first day or two, but now they just sighed, rolled their eyes and half-heartedly told her that she was right, that the bear was adorable. "I wonder who it is!" Izzie gushed. "I mean, most guys would give me roses or something but this guy obviously knows me well enough to know that tulips are my favorite flower, because that's what he gave me."

"I don't know, Iz." Meredith said before going back to her lunch. This was a lie of course. She couldn't be sure, but she had her suspicions about who it was. Izzie had shown her a note that her Mystery Man had given her and she thought that the handwriting looked a lot like Alex's. She had her doubts about this, because the secret admirer seemed too romantic to be Alex. Izzie's guy seemed like the perfect man and if she wasn't so perfectly happy with McDreamy, she'd be incredibly jealous of Izzie.

Meredith got her answer that night. All of the other interns had gone home, but Meredith had returned to the hospital to retrieve something that she had left in her locker. When she pushed open the door to the locker room, she saw Alex putting a plastic bag decorated with hearts into Izzie's locker. He slammed the locker shut and turned around quickly when he heard Meredith enter the room.

"I knew it!" Meredith exclaimed triumphantly. "I knew it was you!"

Alex didn't want to admit it, but he knew that there was nothing he could say or do that would clear his name. "Uh, listen, I know it's stupid, but uh - "

"No! No, Alex it was a wonderful idea! I haven't seen Izzie this happy since before Denny died!"

"Really?" Alex asked, incredulous.

"Really. It's all she ever talks about anymore." She rolled her eyes. "Trust me, I live with her."

Alex smiled. "I was planning on asking her to meet me on Valentine's Day. Do you think she will?"

"Definitely," Meredith confirmed. "She's crazy about you. She won't shut up about how romantic you are and how she wished every guy was like you."

"So I should keep this up?"

"Yeah, you should."

"I love her, Meredith. I know that I screwed up before, but I've changed. I realized how much she means to me. I'm over all that playboy, one night stand, cheating on my girlfriend crap."

"Well, I'm glad to hear that. Just be careful. Don't hurt her again."

"I won't! I promise."

"Good."

"What's in the bag?" Meredith asked the next morning as Izzie plucked her latest gift out of her locker.

"Conversation hearts," Izzie told her, popping one into her mouth. "But get this, all of them say "be mine." Every single one! He must have gone trough a couple bags of these to pick out this many!"

"How do you know it's a he?" Meredith teased. "For all you know it could be a she."

"Ha ha," Izzie replied sarcastically. "Very funny."

Izzie was alone in the locker room on the day before Valentine's Day when she opened a note from her secret admirer. She munched on some left over conversation hears as she read it.

My dear, beautiful Izzie,

I have labored long and hard over this note because I want it to be perfect, just like you are. I want you to meet me tomorrow night at 6:30 at Joe's place. I understand if you don't want to go out with me because you obviously don't know who I am. But, if you do decide to take your chances and make me the happiest man alive, put on something nice (preferably a little dress that will show off those gorgeous legs of yours) and meet me there.

An Admirer

Izzie put down the note and noticed a small black box in her locker. She gasped as she opened it. Inside lay a beautiful necklace with three diamonds hanging off of it. It was so beautiful that it brought tears to her eyes. She wasn't going to meet with this guy, but she decided that someone who had picked out such a fine piece of jewelry definitely deserved a chance.

Izzie tore her closet apart the next evening, wanting to find the perfect dress to wear. Meredith stopped by her room on her way out to dinner with McDreamy. "Have fun!" she teased.

"I will," Izzie moaned, "If I can only find something to wear!"

"You'll look gorgeous in anything." Meredith assured her roommate.

"Thanks," Izzie said, "Now get out of here! Your knight in shining armor awaits!"

Izzie managed to make it to Joe's by 6:20, determined to make it there before her Mystery Man. She had decided on an adorable little red dress that – as per Mystery Man's orders – nicely showed off her legs. Her make up was light, while still accentuating her beautiful features and her hair was loose, curling softly around her face.

Joe's was nearly empty, due to the fact that everybody in Seattle seemed to have a hot date for Valentine's Day. She took a seat at the bar and waited.

"Nice necklace," Joe commented, drying out a shot glass.

Izzie's hand instinctively reached up to touch the diamond necklace hanging around her neck.

"Valentine's Day present?" Joe asked

"Yeah."

"From who?"

"I don't know," Izzie admitted.

"Oooh! Secret Admirer?" Joe teased.

"Yeah. I'm supposed to be meeting him right now," she said checking her watch and seeing that it was nearly 6:40.

Just then, the door to the bar swung open. Izzie whirled around to see who it was.

Alex took a seat next to Izzie. "Alex, there are like a million seats open! I'm waiting for someone!"

"You're waiting for me." He said simply

"No I'm not! I'm waiting for- " she stopped suddenly, a look of realization on her face. "Oh my- " she stammered, "You can't be - "

"I am, Izzie. I wrote the notes and gave you the flowers and the candy and that necklace you're wearing." He flushed slightly and looked away.

"Oh."

"Alex sat there, looking into Izzie's eyes, unsure of how she was going to react. Suddenly she threw herself at him and kissed him eagerly. He responded immediately and they sat there, arms around each other, kissing, until Alex finally pulled back. "I love you, Izzie," he blurted out before he could stop himself.

"I love you, too, Alex." She said, her voice barely a whisper.

"Good. Now that we've got that out of the way…" he trailed off and once again began attacking her lips with his own.

"Ahem," Joe coughed several minutes later, causing the sheepish couple to break apart reluctantly.

"Sorry," Izzie apologized even though she wasn't sorry at all.

Joe rolled his eyes. "Get a room," he said good-naturedly.

"Actually, we have dinner reservations, " Alex announced.

"We do?"

"Yep. Why else would I have you dress up?"

"Because I'd look hot."

"True, but you look hot in anything. Let me change the question. Why else would I dress up?"

"I don't know."

"Exactly. Let's go."

"Ok. See ya, Joe!"

Alex took Izzie's hand and led her out of the bar, ready to begin a new chapter in their lives.

**A/N Lame ending, I know. I suck at ending things…hmmm. Anyway, review please! Up next: Burke and Cristina**


End file.
